Adjustable truck



(No Model.)

BIRELAND. ADJUSTABLE TRUGK.

- No. 576,729 I Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

In: uonms PETERS cu, PHOTO-LITHQ. wasmum'mu. a. c4

UNITED STATES ATENT FFIcn.

ADJUSTABLE TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,729, dated February 9, 1897.

Application filed September 9, 1896. Serial No. 605,254. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIAS IRELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vinters, county of Yolo, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Adjustable Trucks; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an improvementin trucks which is especially adapted to be used in connection with an apparatus for bleaching fruit.

It consists, essentially, in a novel construction of a truck having a vertically-movable frame or body and means by which it may be raised or depressed at will, so as to raise the platform-carrying trays from their supports in the bleaching-house and transfer them to other points, where they are left by the depression of the car-frame.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my truck, the front wheels being taken off. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same and also the transfer table and tracks.

This invention is especially designed to be used in conjunction with chambers in which fruit is to be bleached by the application of sulfur previous to being dried.

The fruit is placed on drying-trays, and these trays are then piled upon platforms A, the projecting edges of which are adapted to be supported upon longitudinal cleats B within the chamber 0. This chamber has end doors, which may be opened for the admission or removal of the platform and the car upon which it is carried, and tracks D, upon which the car is movable into or out of the house. There maybe a great number of these bleaching-chambers placed side by side, and in' order to transfer the cars to one or another I have shown a transverse line of rails E, having a transfer table and track F. This track being brought into line with any one of the tracks D is temporarily locked by means of a frame G, slidable between and below the tracks, so that the ends of the frame may be projected and interlocked with the tracks D, thus preventing the transfer-track from moving while the car is being moved on or off it. This sliding frame is actuated by a lever H, fulcrumed upon the transfer-car so as to be easily movable, and when the fruit-carrying car has been moved upon the transfer-car the locking-frame is withdrawn, and the transfercar may then be moved until its tracks are in line with the tracks D of any one of the bleaching-houses.

The car upon which the fruit-carrying platforms are designed to be moved consists of wheels I, fixed upon shafts J and adapted to run upon the. tracks D. These shafts are connected together by bars K, extending upon each side from one shaft to the other near the outer ends, and these bars are formed with journal-boxes at the ends within which the shafts are turnable as the wheels roll upon the track. Exterior to these bars are short arms L, through which the wheel-shafts pass andwithin which the shafts are loosely turnable.

M is a frame of such width that it may pass beneath the fruit-carrying platforms whenever the car is to be run into the house where the platform is located. This frame is connected with the ends of the arms L by rulejoints, as shown at N, which form fulcrums about which the arms L turn when the wheelframes are moved to elevate or depress the frame M.

A V-shaped frame or connecting-bar O has its rear end provided with journal-boxes through which the rear wheel-shaft passes and turns loosely. frame or bar is connected with the lower end of a lever P. This lever is fnlcrumed to the front of the frame M, and when the frame M is at its lowest point the lever stands approximately vertical. When the lever is pulled forward, the lower end pushes the frame 0 backwardly, and by means of the side bars connecting the wheel-axles and the opposite opposing pull upon the frame M the bars L are rotated about the fulcrum-joints so as to stand in a vertical position, and the frame M is thus lifted. The amount of vertical motion given the frame is such that when it is de- The front end of this pressed it is sufficiently below the fruit-platform A that a car may be easily run in beneath it, and when it is raised it lifts the platform off of its supports and the car and platform can then be withdrawn and transferred to any other point.

The position of the rule-joints N with rela- IOO tion to the car-axle is such that when the arms L have been turned into a vertical position and the part M raised these joints are sufficiently in advance of the axles to act as a lock and prevent the part M from dropping back to its lowest position.

In order to properly support the frame M when it is depressed, I have shown angular blocks Q, fixed to the lower side of the frame M in such positions that when the arms L are turned so as to depress the frame these inclined blocks rest upon the front sides of the arms L, the latter standing in an inclined position, so that their faces coincide with those of the blocks Q. This forms a firm support for the frame, relieving" the joints and bringing the bearing directly upon the wheel-shafts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A vertically-adjustable truck, consisting of a frame or platform, wheels fixed upon transverse shafts or axles, arms turnable loosely upon said shafts beneath thepla-tform, locking rule-joints by which the upper ends of the arms are directly connected with the platform, side bars connecting the two wheel- 7 shafts, a bar 0 extending directly from the 1 rear wheel-shaft to the front of the platform, and a lever fulcrumed upon the platform having the lower end connected with the front of the bar 0 whereby the wheels are moved to raise or depress the frame.

2. A vertically-adjustable truck consisting of wheels fixed upon the ends of two parallel shafts, side bars connecting said shafts and having j ournal-boxes within which the shafts turn freely, short arms turning loosely upon the wheel-shafts, a frame, the side bars of which are in line above the arms, rule-joints connecting the frame directly with the arms, a connecting bar or frame loosely journaled to the rear axle of the truck extending forwardly, a lever fulcru med upon the main frame having" its lower end connected with this bar, whereby the frame may be raised or depressed by the movement of the lever, and inclined bearing-surfaces formed beneath the frame so as to rest upon the front sides of the connecting-arms when the frame is depressed.

In witncss whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ELIAS IRELAND.

\Vitnesses:

S. H. NoURsn, JEssIE O. BRODIE. 

